Best Tapas Restaurants in Civic Center / Hayes Valley / Van Ness

We went to Coqueta to celebrate my niece's birthday. They were not very busy mid-day on a Thursday. Service was exceptional, attentive, helpful, simply lovely. My favorite dishes were the steak, patatas bravas, boquerones, octopus, the beet and kale salads. The Manchego with grapes, grape must jam (?) was delicious, as well as the croquetas de jamon. The cocktails were great. I had one of the gin and tonics (Balta?), and heard good things about one of the Margaritas and the white wine selected by my sister. The Catalan style vegetables with nuts and raisins was good, but I am used to spinach instead of broccoli and would have preferred that. The Marcona almonds were fresh, but very salty. Their menu has something for everyone, though it was a challenge to accommodate the preferences of an 11 year old grand niece who does not like seafood, mayonnaise (aioli on croquetas and by patatas bravas. Look forward to returning.

A group of us, 8 in all, visited the Top of the Mark this past Saturday, Nov 16, 2024, and had an absolutely terrific time dancing and listening to Carla Helmbrecht (what talent!). The dance floor was filled with peeps (we loved dancing to "Fly Me To The Moon" and "The Way You Look Tonight"! The view on the 19th floor was breathtaking. The sky was perfectly clear and we could see bridge to bridge, Salesforce Tower, the Pyramid, Sutro Tower, Alcatraz - amazing! The table service was attentive without being intrusive, as always. The appetizers and cocktails were deeeelish. We've been going to the Top of the Mark for over 15 years and it hasn't lost one step in charm and fun. A great spot for date night, a party, as special gathering or an evening, solo!

Our experience, food and service was fantastic. I would highly recommend the small plates of the mushroom dish and the spicy chicken in two buns as being absolutely delightful. Since this was my vegetarian wife's birthday plus unable to eat any gluten dishes, I would have tried some meat dishes. However, everything we had was superior.

Price was perfect besides the mice that started running

Botas is a great option before the theater, food is good, we had garlic shrimp, an iberico ham dish, Brussel sprouts, patatas brava and lamb chops. Red sangria is very good, we had the crema catalan and chocolate desserts. Prices are a bit high for the portion sizes, but our waiter took good care of us. I would recommend.